Concerns over the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) International Mission Board’s part in an amicus brief supporting the construction of a New Jersey mosque have prompted the board, led by “Radical” author and former Alabama pastor David Platt, to change its policies about taking part in such legal briefs in the future.

“As a result of discussions among IMB trustees and staff over recent months, we have revised our processes for our legal department filing any future amicus briefs. IMB leaders are committed in the days ahead to speak only into situations that are directly tied to our mission,” Platt recently told the Baptist Press.

As previously reported, the Mission Board, the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, and the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty were among 20 groups that had joined the 2016 legal filing, including the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, the Sikh Coalition, the Interfaith Coalition on Mosques and many others.

The matter centered around the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge, which had sought to build a mosque in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, but was denied following community opposition. It sued in March of last year, and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty assembled a coalition of faith groups supportive of the Society’s rights for an amicus brief to be filed with the court.

“It’s good when we can join hands with … folks we are sometimes on the other side of,” Brent Walker, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, told Baptist News last May.

The International Mission Board had outlined on its website that it joined the legal brief because it supports religious liberty for all people, and believes that if Christians only support freedom for themselves, it could be detrimental to the furtherance of the gospel.

“IMB supports freedom of religion for all people both in the United States and around the world. IMB signing the amicus brief regarding the New Jersey mosque is an agreement that all people deserve religious liberty, but it does not in any way support the mosque financially or with human resources,” its FAQ section outlines.

“If one follows global news (e.g., Russia’s restrictive laws signed earlier this year, on-going battles in places like Egypt, Malaysia, or India on the right to convert to Christianity, etc.), it’s apparent that religious liberty is an ongoing global issue. IMB’s call on the government of these other countries to support the religious freedom of their citizens will ring hollow if, in the USA, we only support freedom of religion for Christians,” it said.

However, in November, Dean Haun, pastor of First Baptist Church of Morristown, Tennessee and trustee on the board, resigned from IMB due to his disagreement with the board’s part in the legal brief.

“I understand the religious liberty aspect of the entire argument. But I do not understand why the International Mission Board, with our mission to reach the world for Christ, would have to jump into the fray of a mosque being built in New Jersey,” he told reporters.

“If we defend the rights of people to construct places of false worship, are we not helping them speed down the highway to Hell?” Haun said. “I want no part in supporting a false religion even if it is in the name of religious freedom. Our Baptist institutions’ names will be on this brief setting legal precedents and supporting the right of mosques to be built all over our nation for years to come.”

The situation generated much discussion, and has now prompted policy changes regarding joining future briefs. Baptist Press reports that Platt pointed to the Baptist Faith and Message in his statement to the outlet, advising, “We continue to affirm that everyone should be able to freely worship according to their religious convictions.”

“At the same time,” Platt added, “our primary purpose as an organization is ‘to partner with churches to empower limitless missionary teams who are evangelizing, discipling, planting and multiplying healthy churches, and training leaders among unreached peoples and places for the glory of God.'”

The Baptist Faith and Message, which outlines that Baptists “cherish and defend religious liberty,” reads in part, “Church and state should be separate. The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends … A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal, and this implies the right of free and unhindered access to God on the part of all men, and the right to form and propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without interference by the civil power.”

Become a Christian News Network Supporter...

Dear Reader, has ChristianNews.net been of benefit and a blessing to you? For many years now, the Lord has seen fit to use this small news outlet as a strong influential resource in keeping Christians informed on current events from a Biblical worldview. Despite Facebook's recent algorithm changes, which has limited our readership, and, as a result, has affected operational revenue, we continue to strive to bring you the news without compromise and to keep Christ in focus. If you have benefited from our news coverage, would you please prayerfully consider becoming a Christian News supporter by clicking here to make a one-time or monthly donation to help keep the truth widely and freely published and distributed?May Christ continue to be exalted through this work!

Commenting Guidelines: We welcome readers to comment on stories, but we will not tolerate remarks containing profanity, vulgarity, violence, blasphemy, all caps or any discourteous behavior. Thank you for your cooperation in maintaining a respectful public environment where readers can engage in reasonable discussion about matters affecting our nation and our world.Read More →

Grace Kim Kwon

The Baptists should just concentrate on the spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ instead of building the pagan worship places in the land. Religious freedom does not exist in paganisms. Men are for-ever slave owners and also slaves unless they find Christ. Humanism is a dis-orientation and helps no one. Preach the Gospel and liberate people.

Joshua 1:9

Amen!

james blue

If you don’t defend freedom of religion for everyone, nobody will have freedom of religion. Martin Niemöller got it right

Grace Kim Kwon

If Christians don’t have freedom, there is no freedom at all. Pagans have no concept of human freedom and secularists corrupt mankind with willful slavery to sin.

Michael C

“As a result of discussions among IMB trustees and staff over recent months, we have revised our processes for our legal department filing any future amicus briefs. IMB leaders are committed in the days ahead to speak only into situations that are directly tied to our mission,”

When speaking of different beliefs in the world, God’s word does not say, “To each their own. Every religions should be treated equally.” It commands true believers in Christ to spread the gospel to everyone. It does not say that Christians should assist or support the spread of Satan’s elite. It says we are to spiritually battle the enemy. Any Christian or church that supports any belief that does not speak absolute Biblical truth needs to seriously get in touch with God. Study His word before making legal battles of support for Satan’s lies. Christians are not to support Satan. We are to stand for Christ alone!

RWH

And any Christian who doesn’t realize that the right to prohibit people from building a house of worship is a very dangerous thing doesn’t have a brain in his head. If a municipality can get away from prohibiting Moslems from building a house of worship, this prohibition will create a precedent to prohibit other groups from building houses of worship, including these stupid Baptists. People on this list were upset that a church was not allowed to open a Christian school on its property. Guess what! This is the exact same thing.

Joshua 1:9

The Bible tells Christians that the world will hate us and desire to kill us because of Jesus. As a Christian, I do not expect to be treated any better than the world had treated Jesus when He was here. They persecuted Him and His followers for one single reason … their uncompromising belief in God. True Christians should expect to be treated unfairly by the world (including all levels of government). Christians should also be professing the gospel of Christ to people of other beliefs. It is our duty. And it is not optional. As a Christian, I expect the possibility of having to worship in hiding someday. I do not demand that any government or anti-Christian activist group grant me my right to worship openly. I do not expect the world to simply understand my reasons for worshipping God. However, because my Lord had commanded me and all other Christians to profess Him and His unconditional love for everyone, I will never cease to do so, regardless of any possible consequences. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” – Ephesians 6:12 ESV.

Beverly Bogunovich

The religious excuse for a Muslim mosque is nothing more than the gay agenda forcing everyone to submit to Jihad. Bend over and bow the knee to the homosexual deity, and Submit! Submit to the murderous gangs who wish to rule the world under the guise of God. Bend over and submit, get FKD out of your constitutional rights to a fair trial, loss of life, liberty, and property, surrender all to your new homosexual deity, the Muslim brotherhood. Surrender your rights women to your woman hating husbands!

Get Breaking Christian News in Your Inbox!

Sign Me Up! Top Daily Top Weekly

Christian News Headlines

Keep your site fresh and your visitors coming back by featuring Christian News Network's top news stories on your site. Learn more →

Connect With Us:

Learn More

About Christian News Network

Christian News Network provides up-to-date news and information affecting the body of Christ worldwide from an uncompromising Biblical worldview. Our objective is to present the news with the word of God as our lens, and to bring to light what is hid in the darkness. Learn more →